


Shattered To The -core

by LJ_Pynn



Category: -core, Old Ben-core, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: -core - Freeform, Facebook, Memes, Old Ben-core - Freeform, Star Wars - Freeform, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-03-31 15:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13978482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LJ_Pynn/pseuds/LJ_Pynn
Summary: A moderately famous Facebook Meme Page admin is taken on the adventure of a lifetime in order to save the future, past, and all of the surviving [literally anything from 'Star Wars']-core community on Facebook.





	1. Taken

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very specific story written for my favourite Facebook Admin who runs a 'Star Wars' meme page. He likes to take requests to read on his livestreams, so this seemed like an appropriate idea. It's a pretty niche community of "-core" pages and would take more than a moment to explain. The short version is: A group of 'Star Wars' meme pages named with the formula of "[literally anything from 'Star Wars']-core". 
> 
> Okay, that was actually easy to explain. In any case, there are a lot of inside jokes between all of the "-core" admins, such as myself, and their fans, also such as myself.

“Hello there.” Adam greeted his fanbase. “This is the  _ Old Ben-core _ livestream. Coming to you a little later than usual, but the late streams are usually the best, right? Let me just sip some water here before we begin.” The young man, aged 22 years, tilted his glass to his lips. A small amount of liquid gathered in his immaculately maintained mustache and glistened in the light of the room. 

“ _ General Grievous-core, Kanan Jarrus-core,  _ good to see you back. Nick, John, Veronica. Glad to have you here. So what are we gonna talk about today?” Adam leaned back in his chair, ready to see what topics of discussion his fans would recommend for the next hour. “No,  _ Doctor Aphra-core.  _ I’m not doing anymore Poe/Holdo.” He feigned a gag at the idea of reading any more of  _ Doctor Aphra-core’s  _ smutty stories. 

“Actually, guys, I think we’ll hold off on ‘ _ Solo’  _ spoilers until next week, just to make sure everyone has a chance to have seen it. I mean, personally, I loved--” Adam was cut off by the sound of a loud crash in the next room. He stood to his feet to investigate before leaning back down to his phone. “Hoooold on, guys. I think my roommate just knocked something over. I gotta go see if he’s okay.”

As Adam stepped through the door, he began scanning the room for the source of the ruckus. Nothing seemed out of place at first glance. He walked forward, sure he’d heard something crash on the floor. “ _ [Roommate’s name] _ ?!” he called, hoping his roommate would be able to answer for the mysterious sound. Adam heard no response. With nothing out of the ordinary upon his inspection, he turned back to his room to return to his livestream. As he entered the room, his heart sank and he became frozen by fright. His stared in terror at the site of an intruder that stood before him.

“What the hell?!” He shouted, his gaze fixed on the mysterious figure who was covered by a black cloak. His face was to the wall opposite the door. “Who are you?!”Adam yelled to the back of the stranger. 

“Don’t be afraid.” The dark-clad home-invader spoke back with a calming tone as he slowly raised his arms into the air. One of his sleeves fell, revealing an adornment around his wrist that caught Adam’s eye. 

“That’s  _ my  _ watch!” Adam finally gained enough confidence to begin to charge the apparent criminal. “Give that back!” He grabbed the figure’s shoulders, spinning him around. He reached his hand to the hood that kept the stranger’s identity a mystery. Before he could remove it, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. His eyes darted over to see what had caused it. In the stranger’s hand was a syringe that he had quickly jabbed into him during his adrenaline fueled distraction. He looked back to the mystery man again before his vision began to fade and his legs fall weak. 

“Don’t be afraid…” the stranger repeated as everything fell black for Adam. 

 

\-----

 

What felt like seconds later, Adam was jostled back into consciousness. He felt the room shaking around him as he blinked his eyes, trying to regain his bearings. He looked at his surroundings and felt an uneasiness in his stomach. He seemed to be in a long hallway filled with chairs. “Where...?” 

“He’s awake.” Adam heard whispers behind him. He turned his head to see who was talking, but was quickly silenced by the sight just next to him. He looked out of the small window he sat next to and saw nothing but clouds below him.  _ ‘Oh, shit.’  _ He thought as he tried to jump out of his chair, only to be caught by the tight seat belt around his waist. 

“Careful!” A strangely familiar voice warned from behind him. “You’re still weak from the injection.” Adam unbuckled the strap and swiftly stood to his feet. His breath was panicked. He looked around, trying to find more clues to his exact whereabouts. 

“Sit down, Adam.” The voice continued. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around quickly to catch it. Standing in front of him in the middle of the aisle was the same cloaked character from before. Adam grabbed the stranger’s wrist in his own hand. 

“You! What were you doing in my--! Why did you bring me--! Where are--!” Adam tried to ask every question that sprung into his mind before settling on the one he was most curious. “Who. Who are you?” He inquired, staring angrily at the man who stood at an almost identical height to him. His hood covered most of his face with only his mouth visible from the overhead lights. Adam saw the stranger smile before he began to speak again 

“I’ll explain everything. Just take a seat.” The mystery man used his free arm to point to the chair next to them. “I’m a friend.” He nodded, keeping his tone friendly and peaceful. Adam looked back to the shadowed face in front of him, trying to make out any detail he could before complying. 

“You’re not a friend. I don’t know you.” Adam argued as both of them took a seat opposite one another across the aisle. 

“Well of course you know me.” The stranger snickered. 

“Look, I don’t have time for this! I have to get home! I have to get back to Li--”

“Settle down.” The stranger interrupted. “You’ll be back home in no time.”

Adam’s head sank. With his stomach in knots, his anger and confusion had now been replaced by a strong worry. He hadn’t any idea how long he’d been gone, be it hours or even days. The only thing he knew is that  _ she _ must be worried sick for him, and that thought brought him more dread than his own kidnapping. 

“I’ll do whatever you want.” He tried to bargain. “You can keep the watch. You can take my money. Just please take me home now.”

“You’re safe. She doesn’t even know you’re gone.” The hood responded swiftly. Adam turned his gaze back up to the mystery figure.  _ ‘How did he know I was thinking about…?’  _ he began to wonder to himself. “You can trust me. You know me.” The stranger’s voice continued. 

“Really, I have no idea who you are. Please just take me back.” Adam tried to argue. The stranger’s smile returned again as he began to chuckle. His hands reached to the hood that shrouded his face. 

“Well of course you know me…” 

He raised the hood slowly, his facial features coming to light one-by-one. Adam inspected each detail as the mystery man revealed himself. His lips were topped with a thick, dark grey mustache. His cheeks were wrinkled. At the bridge of his nose was perched a pair of large glasses, magnifying the dark coloured eyes behind them. The hood continued to rise, revealing a head of voluminous grey hair that had been styled to a single side. Adam’s heart raced in his chest. Before him sat a man he  _ had  _ indeed seen before in his life. Many times in fact. He recognized the old man’s eyes that looked back to him, just as his own did when he looked into a mirror. 


	2. Across

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam finds himself in a place even stranger. Old Adam explains everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For ease of reading, 2018 Adam's lines have been italicized and Old Adam's lines are in bold. 
> 
> Also, this was kind of thrown together because I got distracted by requests for stories about Kylo Ren eating ass this week. Hopefully next week's -core story will be a little more structured.

Adam stared at the aged gentleman in front of him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The stranger hadn’t been lying. He  _ did  _ know him. 

**“I know you have a lot of questions.” Old Adam started to speak. “But we’ll have to save the answers for when we land. Buckle in.”**

Stunned and speechless, Adam complied, buckling himself into his chair as they began to descend. He looked back to the window as they broke through the clouds. There was an immense forest below. Massive grey structures dotted the area. Something seemed familiar. 

“Where are we?” Adam quietly asked his older self.

**“Guatemala.” Old Adam explained. “Tikal, specifically.”**

_ ‘Isn’t that where--’  _ Adam thought to himself

**“Yes. The filming location for the Great Temple on Yavin IV.”** Old Adam answered. Current Adam didn’t understand why he was drugged and kidnapped to be brought here of all places. His heart sank at the idea of finding himself above another continent. 

\----  **_Now Landed outside of a huge temple --_ **

_ “Why did you bring me here?” _

**“Here?” Old Adam laughed. “Oh, we’re not quite to where we’re going yet.”**

The temple in front of Adam was massive. He’d never seen a structure like this in person. He tried to stay at Old Adam’s side in order to avoid getting lost in a foreign land, even though he still didn’t trust his kidnapper. They entered the Temple. The inside seemed barren. There was nothing there, making Adam wonder even more why he’d been taken to this place. He felt Old Adam’s hand on his shoulder. 

**“Alright.” Old Adam pointed forward. “You see that wall?”**

Adam nodded, staring at the blank wall in front of them before Old Adam started to explain.

**“We’re going to run full speed right at it.”**

Adam looked up at his older self, who was clearly a madman for suggesting this preposterous idea. 

**“Come on!”** Old Adam grabbed his younger self by the shoulders and started to sprint. Adam tried to tear himself away, but instead found himself barrelling toward the blank stone wall. His eyes instinctually snapped shut as they were about to slam into it, but the feeling never came. With his eyes still closed, Adam started to hear voices around him. Dozens of voices. There was a light now shining through his eyelids. He finally opened his eyes to see something even more baffling than his own older self. 

**“Well, kid. We made it.** ” Old Adam spoke. 

Current Adam looked around. They were in the same place, but something had changed. The empty temple they had entered just a moment ago was now full of people, all clamoring around as if they were in the middle of some sort of evacuation. He heard a voice from behind him. 

“Adam! You’re back!” 

Both Adam’s turned around to see the long, grey-haired man that greeted them. Adam was still so confused by the sudden change in local population. And daylight shift. He couldn’t even begin to focus on the stranger that was talking to him now. He just watched as Old Adam shared a handshake with the gentleman. The stranger reached his hand out to greet Adam now, who politely did the same, even though he had no clue who he was.

“Man, I haven’t seen you with dark hair in ages.” The stranger said. 

“ **Oh!” Old Adam cut in. “He’s from May, 2018!”**

“Oh, shoot!” The stranger started to apologize. “I’m sorry, I thought you were 2020 Adam.”

Adam still had no clue what was happening or who this guy was. 

**“Adam,” Old Adam started. “This is Logan. You know him as** **_Doctor Aphra-core_ ** **.”**

_ “Oh… okay… you’re a little--” _

“Older. I know. But that happens over thirty-one years, I suppose.”

_ ‘Thirty-one years?! What is going on?!’ _

Old Adam once again grabbed Adam by the shoulder. 

**“Take a seat. It’s time to explain now that we’re finally here.”**

Adam at down, ready for an explanation. Old Adam started to tell him everything. 

**“So, obviously this is all pretty confusing. You’ll have to bare with me here. You see the wall we just came through? That’s a time portal. I’ve taken you from your time in 2018. Right now, we’re in 2049. Now, this time portal isn’t just future tech. It’s actually ancient. Do you know why George Lucas used this location to film for Yavin? Not because it looked nice, but because he knew it was a bridge through time and space.”**

Adam tried to keep up. Something seemed familiar about a “a bridge through time and space.”

**“I came to you now because you’d be familiar with the concept after ‘Rebels’. Now, Adam, the next part is going to be hard to believe, but I need you to listen and trust me.”**

This was ALL hard to believe already, but Adam kept his attention on Old Adam.

**“** **_Star Wars_ ** **isn’t a movie. It’s a historical recording.”**

Adam’s eyes opened wide. Surely this man was delusional. 

**“George knew that. He didn’t just write these stories. He lived them. This portal connects us, as I said, through time and space… directly to a--”**

_ “The World between Worlds…” Adam cut in. _

**“Precisely. Lucas, Filoni, Kennedy. They weren’t just writers. They all came from that Galaxy, which is truly far, far away and a long time ago. But with this portal, they came here to escape the treachery that that galaxy and time offered.”**

_ “Kennedy? I mean, I don’t think she really wrote those stor--” _

**“Oh, not Kathleen Kennedy. John F. Kennedy.”**

_ “What?! But he died before ‘Star Wars’ even came out!” _

**“Right. He was going to tell the stories in 1970, but he was assassinated. Some say it was a gentleman on a grassy knoll, but we know the truth. A bullet doesn’t just curve for no reason. What’s the one thing that can influence something like that?”**

_ “Are you saying?” _

**“Yes. A Force user from THEIR time killed Kennedy. Lucas took over the work a few years later. We brought you here, Adam, to come back to the 1960s with us to discover who entered our timeline and why.”**

_ “If what you’re saying is true, why do you need me? Why can’t you find people from their time to help you.” _

**“We need you, Adam, because you’re the only person that I trust. That said, we still do have an ally from their side.”**

Adam felt loud footsteps booming behind him. 

**“Adam. Meet Dexter Jettster.”**


	3. Meet The Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \-- Previously, in "Shattered To The -core", Adam found himself in a Great Temple in 2049, learned that 'Star Wars' is REAL and that someone from a Galaxy Far, Far away killed John F. Kennedy. Then Dex showed up. --
> 
> In our third Chapter, Adam comes to terms with his current situation and makes the best of it as he meets some of the people he'll be going on this mission with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a development chapter than anything. It's a little longer, but still not horribly long. You get to know a few characters and maybe... grow suspicious of some others. 
> 
> Again, Old Adam is in bold and 2018 Adam is in Italics for ease of reading. 
> 
> Also, you can do My/Logan/Doctor Aphra-core's voice as just a tad deeper than your own voice, but not like Old Adam's voice. 
> 
> Any 'Star Wars' music, but keep it quiet. Will have music ques for next week/finale, though.
> 
> ____________________________________________________________

Adam felt a pair of massive hands engulf his shoulders from behind.

“Heyyy, old-- NEW buddy!” The giant alien greeted him. Adam turned around to see the not-so-fit, four-armed creature behind him who wore a wide smile on his face. He sat stunned at the sight of him. Dexter Jettster, an actual character from ‘Star Wars’ standing right there. “You can call me Dex, but I guess you already knew that.”

Adam stood to his feet, next to his older self. Even after the day he’d already had, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

_“Are you…?”_

“Real?” Dex asked. “As real as you, I suppose.” He extended an arm to shake Old Adam’s hand.

 **“Good seeing you, Lieutenant.”** he greeted his old friend. Adam gave a confused look.

 _“Lieutenant?”_ He inquired.

“That’s right!” Dex said. “I’ve been working with Ad-- Well, you for a long while. I joined his privateer group, oh, about five years ago now.” He nodded, starting to recall the time that he’d crossed over into our time and galaxy. “Why, Old You came over to get me personally. I didn’t quite believe this whole ‘Bridge between space and time’, but here I am.”

 **“And we’re glad to have you.”** Old Adam said.

“Right!” Logan stepped in “I don’t mean to rush things, but we’ve gotta get moving.” He waved toward the group. “Adam--”  
  
Both Adam’s looked his way. “Okay… this isn’t going to work. I need to change one of your names.” He pointed to 2018 Adam, “You can be Adam.” Then pointed to 2049 Adam, “I’ll just call you LeClerc.”

Both Adam’s nodded in agreement, they and Dex joining Logan as they walked to the briefing room. Inside were a few chairs and a large display screen. In front of the screen stood the mission coordinator, a face that Adam finally recognized immediately.

_“Gen-- Andrew? Perkin?!”_

“Oh.” The coordinator smiled. “S’up, Adam?”

 _“You’re… I mean, you’re not… old.”_ The man seemed to look just as he did in 2018.

“Yeah. No, I’ve been working with these guys ever since ‘General Grievous-core’ was published. They just showed up to my house one day, said they needed a military coordinator in the future, and… well, here I am.”

 _“Huh… okay.”_ Adam just went along with it. It was hardly the strangest thing he’d seen all day.

“So.” Andrew started “Now that you’re all--” He looked around before fixing his eyes on Logan.

“She’s on her way.” Logan nodded.

Andrew nodded back.

“Right, so we just need to fill the newbie in on the plan.” Andrew looked at Adam before starting to detail the mission. “You five, including your pilot who should be here in a moment, will be traveling back to November 22, 1963. Now, you’re not going to stop the assassination. See, we can’t risk contamination of the timeline. You just have to find and apprehend the Force User that killed him. Our time portal can only get you to the date, but your pilot will fly you to the location and drop you guys there. Since this is the only natural time portal on Earth and we have no record of the culprit arriving through it, then they have to have their own man-made time machine near the site of the incident. We’ll give you the equipment to monitor temporal anomalies, which should help you track them to the location of the machine. From there, get them into custody, and shut down the machine. You’ll get picked up, flown back to our portal, and we’ll bring him here to 2049 and deal with him. Any questions?”

Adam started to raise his hand, but LeClerc stopped him.

**“No, I think we’re all pretty clear.”  
**   
  


\---------- **Later, in the wardrobe department--------**

 

 _"You know, I never thought I’d be wearing one of these.”_ Adam said as he placed the black fedora on his head. The hat matched the rest of his 60s-appropriate suit. LeClerc sat next to him, fitting on the same type of clothing.

**“Yeah, well, we just have to blend in.”**

“Easier said than done.” Dex walked up from behind a wall of lockers, wearing a massive custom-made men’s suit. “A little tight, I think.”

**“Nah, you look alright, Dex. You’re probably not even going to be in the public eye. We just need you when it’s time to catch the criminal.”**

Dex nodded and began toward the door.

 _“So, this shouldn’t take long, right?”_ Adam asked.

 **“No more than a few hours.”** LeClerc tightened his shoes. **“Let’s get out there to the ship.”**

_“The ship?”_

**“Oh, you didn’t think she was going to fly us in some 1900s airplane, did you?”**

Intrigued, Adam walked with LeClerc out to the hallway. LeClerc smiled down at Adam for a moment as they stood in front of the door to the next room.

**“You’re gonna love this.”**

He opened the door and both stepped into a massive hangar. LeClerc was right. Adam _did_ love this. His eyes lit up as he saw the craft that would be taking them through time and across the world. A craft, that unlike most things today, was definitely familiar to him.

_“Is that…”_

**“That’s her.** **_The Ghost.”_ **

Adam’s hand flew over his mouth to hide his excited smile. He sprinted toward the massive freighter, straight out of the TV show. It was unreal to see in person. Adam watched as some people in jumpsuits loaded materials onto the ship. In awe, he almost didn’t think about who might be their pilot.

 _“You said ‘she’ would be flying us.”_ Adam spoke excitedly. _“Do you mean Hera Synd--”_

“Actually,” the voice of an English Woman cut him off, “She loaned the Ghost to me for this mission.”

Adam turned around to see the woman walking toward them, with Logan at her side. The dark-grey haired woman, who seemed a little over sixty-years old, extended her hand as she approached.

“This is our pilot,” Logan said as Adam shook her hand, “and my beautiful wife, Marina.”

Adam looked back to Logan.

 _“Marina?”_ he started to ask, _“Like… ‘Doctor Aphra-core’s Celebrity Crush: Marina Lambrini Diamandis-core?”_

“The one and only.” Logan smiled before placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Aww…” Marina giggled. “You have a crush on me, Love?” She asked as she looked up to Logan, standing a few inches taller than her.

“Always and forever, babe.” He blushed. “Always and forever.” He put his arm over her shoulder and they walked to board _The Ghost._

Adam smiled at the tender moment, surprised that a former-smut writer like _Doctor Aphra-core_ could live something so sweet and intimate in real life. Of course, it reminded him of his own love back home. He tapped LeClerc’s shoulder.

_“Hey… so, where’s your… Where’s your Lizzy? I haven’t seen her around.”_

LeClerc’s raised an eyebrow, seeming confused for a moment. He hesitated before speaking up.

**“Liz is safe. I took her and Caleb to Montreal before I came here. I didn’t want to leave her there for a few days, you know. Mission is a mission.”**

Adam nodded, understanding. Maybe he would do the same thing.

 **“But I’ll be back to her right after the mission.”** LeClerc smiled genuinely. Adam smiled back as both started toward the boarding ramp of the ship. He couldn’t hold back a question about what he’d just heard.

_“Caleb?”_

**“My Son.”**

Adam and LeClerc boarded _The Ghost_ as the ramp started to close. Being inside the ship was surreal. It was almost exactly like it looked in the show, but it was real. Adam almost expected it to be animated when he walked on board. LeClerc pointed to the ladder that would get them to the second level. Breaking out of his trance at the feeling of being on this ship, Adam quickly followed him up. They walked toward the cockpit. This sight was another for Adam to behold as everyone else seemed to stick to their routine duty. Marina started up the engines, Logan checked all of the diagnostics from his co-pilot’s seat, LeClerc took a seat and fiddled with suit, and even Dex could be heard below as he complained about the gunner’s seat being too small.

“I suggest you buckle in, kid.” Marina said as the ship jolted around. Adam complied. This ride was definitely more exciting than the previous one he’d woken up on. He looked over to LeClerc, who held his hand over his mouth and gazed into a distant nothingness, lost in his own thoughts. Something seemed to bother him.

 _“Are you alright?”_ Adam kindly asked.

LeClerc didn’t respond until Adam tugged at his sleeve.

 **“Hm?!”** LeClerc jerked around in his chair to see Adam, disturbed from his thoughts. **“Yeah. I’m… I’m fine, kid.”** He spoke in a tone that seemed far from fine.

Adam wanted to inquire further, but sank into his seat as the ship began to hover off of the ground. Adam looked out of the cockpit to see them turn slowly toward a stone wall.

“Alright, Andrew.” Logan spoke, “Amplify the portal.”

“Amplifying portal!” The Coordinator’s voice spoke through the communications panel.

Adam stared in awe at the wall as a small blue light started to shine on it. He wasn’t quite sure what it was. The light grew in intensity as it started to widen gradually. Soon, the nature of the light became clear. It was the portal growing around them to fit the ship.

“Calculating jump to 1963.” Logan talked over to Marina as she held the ship steady.

“Portal amplified to 130%!” Andrew’s voice called out through the speaker again. “You guys are cleared for departure. I’ll see you all when you get back!”

Adam gripped the side of his chair, not sure of what it would feel like flying a spaceship into a time portal. It was something he hadn’t considered he’d ever encounter. Logan looked over to Marina, reaching his hand out across the gap between their seats. She gripped his hand in hers and both turned their heads to look into each other’s eyes.

Logan smiled. “Ready?”

She smiled back. “Ready.”

With her opposite hand at the console, she pushed the thruster control forward. The ship lunged forward, into the portal. The blue light shined bright around them, surrounded by what seemed like a swirling white vortex. The ship shook and creaked. Adam looked around frantically, nervous about the shaky ride. He saw LeClerc, who still sat without any thought. Within a few seconds, the ship began to steady and all seemed normal. Or at least as normal as the circumstances could be for Adam in this event.

“Adam.” Logan called over. “Don’t worry, man. We’re all set.” He pulled his hand from his wife and stood up and walked over to Adam. “Come on. It will take about five minutes before we arrive in ‘63. I want to show you some of the equipment while we have time.”

Adam unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up next to Logan. Before they walked out, he looked down to LeClerc, who still couldn’t be bothered. Logan placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder and guided him away and out of the cockpit. Both started quietly walking down the corridor before Adam sparked some conversation.

_“So… That wife of yours.”_

“Mhmm?”

_“She’s a singer right? Or was a singer?”_

“Yep. Retired now, but back in 2018 we knew her as ‘Marina & The Diamonds’. That was her stage name.”

_“Right. And she IS the one from that -core page you made?”_

“She sure is.”

_“So, you had a crush on her. How did you two meet?”_

Logan chuckled.

“Actually, _you're_ to thank for that."

Adam looked over in disbelief.

“It was a concert in 2022. After I got you into her music, you and Lizzy went to a concert of hers. I happened to be there, as well. Afterward, I actually ran into you two at a bar outside of the event. You know, it was cool to catch up after the -core stuff started losing momentum, but then something surprising happened. We’re sitting there, and guess who walks into the bar…”

_“Was it her?”_

“It was. She went and took a seat at the end of the bar opposite the three of us. Of course… I had my eyes fixed on her for a while. I was going over in my head how I could already start planning our wedding, and you must have taken notice. Now, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to go up to her on my own free will. It wasn’t until you, and a strong Rum & Coke, convinced me to go talk to her that I finally pushed fear aside and walked over there. And the rest is history. ”

_“Good story. Glad you took the chance. You two seem really happy together.”_

“Married twenty-five years and still as in love as the first. Couldn’t have done it without you.”


	4. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam joins Old Adam and Logan on the mission to apprehend John F. Kennedy's force wielding assassin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this would be the finale, but it got a little longer than most chapters. You can go to the next chapter if you have time, but if you want to wait and push the next finale chapter to next week, that's fine with me. 
> 
> Regular 'Star Wars' music for the most part, but I have one musical que listed in there closer to the end. Here is the link to load up before you get there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp433n4KzDA
> 
> You know the drill by now. Old Adam is in bold, 2018 Adam in italics
> 
> \-------------------------------------------------

Adam, Old Adam, Dex, and Logan all piled onto The Phantom while Marina helmed the controls. They’d exited the time portal and now were being shuttled to Texas to catch the Force-wielder that had killed John F. Kennedy. The ship could make it’s way to the site in just a few minutes, as opposed to the hours a conventional aircraft would. The Ghost would be left behind to avoid being spotted by American radar.

Adam strapped into his seat as they raced to the site. He sat next to Dex, and across from him were Logan and Old Adam. Before they left The Ghost, Logan gathered the team’s supplies. For himself, his two Balisong Knives. For Old Adam, his trusted revolver. For Adam, the temporal tracker to find the culprit’s personal time machine. He’d explained how to use the small tablet device to guide the team to the machine. No one said a word. The only engagement between people on the ship was Logan staring and smiling at his wife. Adam blocked it out. While he appreciated the romance, the past twenty minutes of it started to get pretty sappy and annoying to everyone. It was if Logan had written a story about it and accidentally made himself the main character for a whole chapter.

Instead, Adam looked at his older self. Something still seemed wrong with him, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. He fiddled with the temporal tracker, familiarizing himself with the controls. The silence was finally broken by Marina as they began their descent.

“Y’boys, ready?” She asked the ground crew. “I’ll be landing you a half-kilometer from the site. You’ll have to walk from there.”

Adam simply nodded his head, distracted by nervousness. While this was all supposed to be a simple mission, there was an uneasiness to the situation. He slipped the tracker into his pocket as Old Adam rose from his seat. Adam stood, too, followed by Logan. The ship rattled slightly as they touched down in a field, away from any prying eyes. The ramp at the back of the shuttle opened. Old Adam was the first off. Adam stepped after him. Dex stayed back for the first part of their recon mission. Logan took a moment to kiss Marina again before deboarding. He turned to her once more when he joined the Adams before the ramp closed.

“I’ll see you soon, Love.” He called to her. Adam looked at his surroundings. While being in the 1960s was interesting, they picked the most boring field in the middle of Texas as his first time travel site. Adam wasn’t used to the Southern heat, especially wearing such a heavy suit and black hat. He hoped they would be done quick.

Logan handed off a small communications device to Adam while fixing another one to his own ear. Adam did the same, watching Old Adam install his, as well.

**“This way.”** Old Adam finally spoke up as he began walking away from the landing site at a quick speed. Adam and Logan kept up with his pace. When the ship was out of site and the three men were finally at an empty road that led to town, Adam heard a voice through his earpiece.

“Mic check.” Dex’s voice sounded through each device. “Can you all hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Dex.” Logan assured him. “We’ll call you if we need you, but stay radio silent for now.”

“Understood. Over and out.” Dex replied.

Old Adam was already walking a few yards ahead. They were entering town, approaching the site. Adam heard the crowds a few blocks away who were waiting to see the President and First Lady passing through town. He sped his pace to catch up to his older counterpart. He had to know what was wrong.

_“Adam.”_ He said as he finally got close. _“Hey, what’s up? Ever since we boarded the ship, you’ve been acting a little distant.”_

Old Adam didn’t answer at first. He just looked over to Adam with a frustrated expression. Adam didn’t know what to make of it, but didn’t want to pry too hard. He just looked away from Old Adam, leaving him be.

**“1963.”** He finally spoke again. **“It’s an… important year for me.”**

Adam looked back to Old Adam again, unsure of the significance. His own 23 years hadn’t had any connection to the year, but he was curious if maybe the next 31 years would hold a reason.

_“Why? What happens here?”_ Adam inquired. Old Adam, again, didn’t respond immediately. After a few seconds, he let out only two words as he focused his attention on the crowds they were about to join.

**“You’ll see.”**

Logan caught up to the two of them, having trailed behind for a short while. As they finally approached the excited crowds, there were only a few minutes before the assassination would take place. Logan pointed to a small foothill. All three men started up there. Adam spotted a camera on the hill that was pointed at the street, among the rest of everyone else. When they got to the top of the small hill, Adam recognized the view. It was almost identical to the view from the camera that would record the footage of Kennedy’s untimely demise. Upon the thought, Adam felt a pain in his stomach. It hadn’t sunk in completely that he was about to witness a murder. He looked to the ground and held his arm around his abdomen. Soon, he felt a hand lightly on his shoulder. He turned to see Logan standing next to him.

“You don’t have to watch it.” He explained. “Just keep an eye out for anyone suspicious when it happens.”

Adam nodded. He looked over to Old Adam, standing a few feet away. His eyes were glued to the street, ready for what was about to happen. Adam looked back down while the crowds started to cheer. In his peripheral, he saw the small line of cars come around the bend in the street. From his position, he was able to eye the crowd that were lower on the hill. His heart raced in his chest. He knew now was the time. He tried to keep an eye on everyone. To see the force user. To see the person that would end the president’s life in a brutal fashion. He waited, his fists clenched. Part of him wanted to watch the event, to see it for his own eyes. But he couldn’t bare to watch. He could only listen.

 

_BANG!_

 

The first shot. Adam winced at the sound, followed by screams. He could see the image in his mind of Kennedy holding his chest. With all of his will power, he turned to see how Logan and Old Adam were handling. His stomach was in knots.He could barely process the image before his eyes snapped shut at the next sound.

 

_BANG!_

 

And there it was. The bullet that killed the President on November 22nd, 1963. Adam listened to the squeal of the tires as the cars all sped away. He waited until he knew the carnage was out of sight before opening his eyes again. All he could see now were frantic civilians running in fear. He couldn’t hear their screams anymore. Everything had gone silent in his head. He stood for what seemed like an eternity.

“Adam!” He heard a voice call out. He started to come back to reality at hearing his name.

“Adam!” Logan grabbed his shoulders again. Adam looked over to his face, also appearing panicked. “Did you see anyone?”

All too late, he remembered the mission. He started to try to pick out anyone that looked out of place. The crowd had already dispersed aside from a few stunned witnesses.

**“Come on! This way!”** They both turned to Old Adam, who had begun sprinting into town. They followed. He must have seen someone they had not. In the area’s panicked state, the three men running down the street seemed to blend in. Logan reached up to activate his earpiece.

“Dex! Come in!” He shouted, keeping up Old Adam.

“Adam!” He called. Adam turned to face him, maintaining their footspeed. “The tracker!”

Adam realized his role in the mission again. He quickly plunged his hand into his pocket to retrieve the temporal tracking device. Whoever they were chasing had only one possible destination that would make them disappear completely, and that was their personal time machine. Adam activated the decice. A small blue blip appeared on the radar.

_“Two blocks straight ahead!”_ Adam shouted to his team, pointing forward.

“This is Jettster! I read you!” He heard Dex’s voice through his earpiece, broadcasting to the rest of them.

“It’s time!” Logan responded. “Tell Marina to lock onto my signal. She’ll drop you at the site and we’ll meet you there!”

“Roger! Over and out!”

Within a moment, the Phantom appeared overhead, speeding by. As the three-man ground team approached the building, Adam looked up to see the ramp of the shuttle open, but the ship not slowing down. To his amazement, Dex lept from the ship in midair, his arms extended in each cardinal direction. He was coming down fast. Adam heard the alien yelling a fierce battle cry and in just under a second, he landed on the street in front of them, kicking up rock and dust. Adam couldn’t believe it when he saw Dex stand to his feet as a cloud of debris around him faded away. The other two men didn’t take notice. Clearly this wasn’t the first time they’d seen this type of stunt.

The Phantom disappeared again as the three men caught up with Dex outside of the building. Adam pointed to the door.

_“It has to be in here!”_ Adam told the team as he looked at the tracker. He slipped it into his pocket as Old Adam pulled his pistol, Logan pulled his knives, and Dex pulled the heavy steel door from it’s hinges, letting them all inside.

The four of them stood back-to-back in the hallway of the building they’d entered. Each of them had their eyes open for the criminal.

“Down there!” Dex pointed down a dark stairwell, with a blue glow at the bottom of it. Old Adam slid down the rail, trying to reach the next floor as fast as possible.

**“Dex! With me!”** He shouted up the stairs. **“You two stay here at the door!”** Old Adam ordered. **“He may not have even shown up yet”**

Adam, Dex, and Logan all raced down the stairs to meet him. Down there was a large door and the intense blue light shined behind it. There was a hum of machinery. Old Adam pushed the door open, stepping inside. Dex followed. The door slammed behind him as Adam and Logan followed orders, waiting outside in case the Assassin had not yet arrived. Adam finally caught his breath after running for so long. The experience had already taken a toll on him. He leaned at a wall, his knees weak.

“Hey!” Logan said, also out of breath. “We’re not done yet.” He held one of his knives out to Adam.

Adam thought back to the sounds and sights of the assassination just a few moments ago. The scared people. Their frightened cries. The sounds burned into Adam’s mind. Whoever could cause that type of chaos needed to be stopped and apprehended. Adam nodded, calming himself before standing straight again. He grabbed the knife. He was ready for whoever would show up. Ready for anything.

Or so he thought.

“What are you--” He heard Dex shout in the next room.

 

_BANG!_

**\------ MUSICAL QUE:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp433n4KzDA  **\------**    
  


Adam jumped, hearing a gunshot from the door behind him. He looked over to Logan. They both stepped out of the way of the door as Logan flung it open. They both jumped in, knives drawn, ready to face the evil-doer. What they saw as they entered was not what they expected. Adam’s eyes widened at the sight in front of him. It was enough to freeze him in his tracks.

There was Dex, lying still on the ground, blood pooling around him.

Adam’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his gaze over to see something even more shocking.

There was Old Adam, standing over Dex’s body, his pistol drawn in front of him.

 

_BANG!_

 

Adam watched Dex tense up as the next bullet was fired into his head.

Time seemed to slow down around him again.

He stood still. He couldn’t move. He could only watch.

Watch, as his Older Self executed one of their team.

Watch, as his Older Self turned to face him.

Watch, as his Older Self gave a sadistic smile, before turning his gun toward them.

Now, as his eyes snapped shut, he could only hear.

Hear as he gun fired again.

Hear Logan’s body hit the ground.

Hear… silence.

Adam trembled, opening his eyes. He couldn’t believe what was happening.

**“Drop it.”** Old Adam sternly ordered. He approached swiftly, placing the barrel of the gun at Adam’s heart. Still unable to move, Adam dropped the knife Logan had given him. He turned his head to the ground. There was Logan, just a foot away from him, bloody and lifeless, his own knife still in his hand. He almost gagged at the sight of it.

**“Turn around. Slowly.”** Old Adam continued. Adam forced himself out of his frozen state and complied. He wanted to speak, to ask what his Older Self had just done. No words could come out. With the gun now on his back, Old Adam walked him forward. Adam didn’t dare move any other way. He looked down again, to Dex’s body next to them. In his shock, he hadn’t payed much attention to the rest of the room. The bright blue light was intense. He finally looked around, seeing machinery around the room and a white vortex in the center of it all.

_‘The time portal…’_ Adam realized.

**“Face me.”** Old Adam’s voice cut into his panicked mind. Adam turned around, seeing his aged self just in front of him. He said nothing more. The only sound in the room was the buzz of the machines and the portal. They looked into each other’s eyes. Adam finally blurted out a word.

_“Why?”_ He whispered. _“Why, Adam?”_

Old Adam smiled again, lowering his weapon. He let out a sadistic laugh. Adam wanted an answer.

_“WHY, ADAM!?”_

**“Oh… Adam. Maybe it’s time you stop calling me that.”**

Adam didn’t understand.

Old Adam brought his hand up to his old, gray hair. Slowly, he parted it to the other side.

Adam’s stomach felt another sharp pain. At the sight of the oppositely shaped hair, he realized who stood before him. He was right from the start. This couldn’t have been him from the future.

_“You. You’re… M… Mar…”_ Adam tried to get the real name out.

**“Marc…”** The tyrant spoke slowly. **“Maron.”**


	5. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam gets an explanation to his new revelation about the true identity of his kidnapper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finale. <3
> 
> Play this until the first musical que in the middle.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27dfqU_NyeE  
> \---------

Adam didn’t know how to react at this point. He only stood shocked at the revelation. He’d been fooled this entire time. Before he could start to piece everything together, Maron started to speak again.

**“Oh, I can see by that look on your face that you’re trying to understand. Since you’re about to die, let me spell it all out for you.”**

Adam listened as the demented Comedian began to explain himself.

**“You. Adam. Old Ben-core. My rival of so many years.”**

_“Your… what?”_

**“You ended my career. Those livestreams of yours -- in 2020, your livestreams are the most viewed internet videos. All of my fans… they flocked over to you. Old** **_Marc Maron_ ** **wasn’t entertaining anymore, compared to the new, younger mustache guy.”**

_“No… No, there’s no way. I just run a meme page.”_

**“The most successful meme page of the 2020s… but that doesn’t have to be true.”** Marc looked over to the Time Portal. **“Don’t you wonder why I brought you here?”**

 _“The mission… The assassin…”_ Adam started to put it together. _“It was you.”_

Marc chuckled.

 **“No. Not me. Not a Force User from their world.”** He pointed to Dex’s body. **“That was all just a distraction. A ruse to bring you here.”**

_“Why?! Why bring me here?”_

**“Because, here, I can take you from your 2018 timeline, before your famous, and send you anywhere. With no 2020 Old Ben-core, there’s nothing to stop be from being the highest entertainment in the world!”**

Adam was stunned. This was all so bizarre. This was unreal. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t believe that his page would be so successful. He looked at Marc, who began to press buttons on the portal’s control panel.

 **“So… Any last words?”** He turned to face Adam again. Adam couldn’t think of anything to say. He just looked down to his feet, silently. He felt Marc’s hand on his shoulder, turning him to face the portal. Adam thought back to home. Friends… family… _her._ He felt the sting of tears. He knew that he would never see them again. He let in a final breath, feeling Marc’s hand begin to push on his back.

“You bastard!” Adam heard a savage voice yelling behind him. He heard Marc gasp and scream in agony before he could push him into the portal. When he turned around, he was stunned again. Of all the unbelievable things he’d seen today, what he saw now was a welcome sight.

There was Logan, standing in front of Marc Maron, two knives thrust into his chest.

Adam quickly moved away from the portal. He watched as his knives deepened themselves into Marc. The two looked into each other’s eyes before Logan pulled the blades back. Marc stood for only a second before collapsing to the ground. Logan turned around to face Adam. He dropped the knives to the floor and reached both hands to his own side, bloodied from the gun wound he’d taken earlier.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He looked to the door they’d entered through. He began limping toward it and Adam followed, catching up and supporting his wounded saviour.

**“This isn’t over!”**

Both Logan and Adam turned around, seeing Marc Maron laying next to the portal, still breathing. He smiled again before reaching his bloody hand up to the portal’s control panel. With the press of a single button, the lights of the room dimmed. The ground began to shake. An alarm began sounding.

 **“If I die… you’re all coming with me.”** Marc spit out his final words before he collapsed again, dead for good.

 _“What’s going on!?”_ Adam asked desperately. Logan pulled himself from Adam’s supporting arm and began walking toward the machines that controlled the portal.

“He overloaded the time barrier!” Logan yelled across the room. “This is going to level the whole town! Send it back to the stone age! Literally!” He looked frantically at the machine before turning around to Adam again. “Go! Get upstairs. Get to the roof and call Marina in! I can shut this down.”

Adam wasn’t sure if he should leave.

 _“Well, I can help--”_ He started walking over to Logan, sure he could offer any assistance possible.

“No!” Logan put his hand out to stop him. “Go. I’ll be right behind you.”

Adam nodded. He turned back to the door and began toward it. Before he left the room, he turned back. He looked at Dex again and his murderer dead right next to him. He shook his head, glad Marc had met his fate, and walked back up the stairs. He reached to his earpiece.

 _“Marina! We need a pickup!”_ He nearly stumbled as he ran up the next flight of stairs. There were three more floors until the roof.

“On my way!” The pilot assured him.

Adam felt the ground shaking more and more violently below him. He kept checking behind to see if Logan had caught up yet. It wasn’t long before he finally made it to the door that led him to the roof. He opened it quickly and ran outside. He looked up into the sky, waiting for the Phantom to come by and pick the two of them up.

“I have you in sight!” Marina spoke through his device. “What’s going on down there?”

Adam turned around, hearing the shuttle’s engines approach.

_“Uhh… there’s a time bomb. Or something. Logan’s defusing it now.”_

The trembling of the ground stopped.

“Got it!” Logan’s voice came from the comms.

She brought the ship to a hover at the edge of the building. The ramp lowered in front of Adam. He looked back to the door, still waiting for Logan.

“Where is everyone?” Marina called from the pilot’s seat. Adam didn’t know how to explain what had happened with Dex or the reveal of the true villain. He just shook his head and boarded the ship.

 _“Logan’s on his way up.”_ He sat down.

“Actually…” Logan’s voice came through their earpieces, “Change of plans, kid.”

  
  
**\----- MUSICAL QUE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a1o3OHGTcM -----**

 

Adam didn’t understand. _“What do you mean? Do you need help down there?”_

“No.” Logan replied. “There’s… there’s no way to shut this down.”

“Well, get up here!” Marina called to her husband. “We’ll fly out of range of the blast.”

“I can’t stop the explosion, but I can minimize the damage if I stay down here.”

“Are you crazy?!” She asked him, starting to sound desperate. Voices went silent between everyone. Adam didn’t know what to say now.

“Marina.” Logan finally started again. “You need to get Adam out of here.”

Adam looked to the pilot as she stood from her seat, starting to walk toward the ramp.

“I’m coming down for you, Love!”

“No!” Logan shouted. “I need you to listen to me now.” She stopped in her tracks. “You need to get Adam back to 2018. We can’t risk hurting the timeline if he doesn't get back to his time.” He paused. “Or this will all have been for nothing.”

Marina didn’t move. 

 _"You don't have to do this for me! Just get up here!"_ Adam tried to convince him

"No, Adam!" Logan called back. "I told you the role you play in my life in 2022. I can't let that  _not_ happen." He paused. 

“Go now!” Logan continued. “Don’t worry about me.”

“But--”

“Go!”

Marina turned around, tears swelling in her eyes. She rushed back to the cockpit. The ramp closed and the ship began to raise into the air again. Adam joined her up front.

 _“He’s doing what he has to. For all of us.”_ Adam tried to console her as they departed from the building. He looked out through the front window, the building growing in distance, shining a bright blue.

“Marina. Can you hear me?” Logan’s mic began to buzz and fade.

“Yes! I’m-- I’m here!”

“You know what’s ironic?”

“What’s that, babe?”

“Now _I’m_ the one who’s about to feel celestial!”

Marina breathed out a gasp of a laugh, her face red and tears down her face. Adam could feel himself tearing up now, as well. His hand landed over his mouth. The building glowed brighter and brighter.

“Please…” She pleaded.

Logan let in a strong breath. “Always and forev--”

Logan’s final word was cut off as Adam watched the glowing building give way to a fiery blue explosion. The rest of town remained unscathed.

He’d done it.

He saved the town.

He saved Adam.

He saved Marina.

He saved the timeline.

Adam turned to the red-faced widow. He wanted to tell her that everything was okay. That he’d done it for her. But he knew she already knew that. He let her be as he took a seat at the back of the shuttle. Neither spoke a word for the rest of the trip back to base. 

 

** \-- EPILOGUE -- **

 

 

Adam and Marina stood outside of his door. She wanted to stay at base, but honoured her late husbands last wish and returned Adam home in 2018. She started to speak. 

"This should be just a moment after Marc took you from this place." She mentioned quietly. Adam saw the despair in her face. When she said that, he realized something that might be able to bring her a shred of happiness in light of this tragedy. 

 _"You said just a moment? Come with me. I want to show you something."_ Adam opened his door and smiled to her, beckoning her inside. She followed him to his room where his computer sat atop the desk. His livestream was still running. 

 _"Look. Right there."_ He pointed to a familiar -core page name on the screen displaying the comment section.  _"No one's ever really gone."_

Marina stared at the screen, watching as Doctor Aphra-core, before he'd ever met her, sent links to his newest Pryce and Thrawn Fanfiction for Adam to read later. She reached out, pressing her fingers to his name. 

 

She smiled. 

 


End file.
